The Situation Room
by Knightwolfe
Summary: Ever wonder how some of the characters would react in certain situations? What would happen if the plot took a different turn. 100 Different ways some things could have happened.
1. Run

**AN: Friendly challenge from a buddy on livejournal. A "pick-your-fandom" prompt challenge. I guess my competitive nature got the best of me because I rose to the bait. So here it is, prompts one through four. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything, so don't try to sue me, darned lawyers.**

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**1- Run**

Tick. Tock. Tic. Tock. The clock seemed to be tauting him as he bolted down the hallway of the old castle. The ancient bomb had less than three minutes left as the fuse took light and a soft sizzling filled the air. And still he was tempted to turn around and head back.

He'd left her in the arms of that creep, unable to stop him from flying away as she cried out to him in a desperate voice. _"Nero!"_ He'd wanted oh so badly to turn back, to drive his Devil Bringer through the bastard's chest and rip his heart out for the world to see. But as the counter counted down the precious seconds he had remaining, he did the only thing he could. He ran.

But behind him he could still hear the sing-song voice of his enemy.

"_Run run run as fast as you can. We'll still catch you, poor little lamb. The clock will run down, the bomb will explode. The town will come down, littered snow white with bone."_

**2- Motorcycle**

"Dante!" Said devil hunter bolted upright in his bed, silver locks poking this way and that as he shivered at the tone of voice that left his partner downstairs. If he was any expert on Lady's mood's by now, he was in for one hell of of a lecture. And a beating, he was sure of it.

With a measure of trepidation, he threw on his usual attire and walked down the stairs, immediately aware of the angry look he was receiving. "What were you thinking!?" Before he could respond, or ask what he had done, she was right in his face, snarling like a mad dog.

"That's the tenth bike you've totaled this year!"

**3- Temper**

Trish and Nero walked in the Devil May Cry office not fifteen seconds after Lady had began her rant on how irresponsible and childish Dante had been. _"I mean what the hell possessed you to drive into a bunch of frost demons!?"_ Nero sighed and hung his head while Trish cursed his stupidity loudly.

Dante turned to them with a pathetic look and mouthed, _"Help me."_. Normally he was unfazed by Lady's outbursts, but he knew he'd screwed the pooch on this one when he'd dragged the remains of the bike to the local repair shop. He'd known he was in even more trouble when the man had said there was nothing he could do for the poor bike. But then he made the dumb mistake of opening his mouth.

"You should watch your temper, Lady, it's not good for the blood pressure."

**4- Devilish**

Kyrie knew there was something wrong when a blur of red and silver dashed into the park, screaming in a voice akin to that of a small child. She knew something was definitely wrong when another blur, this one blue and silver, jetted past her, roaring in a blind rage. And it dawned upon her. Dante had actually gone through with the joke he had saved especially for Nero.

Up ahead there was scream and a triumphant, yet violently evil, cackle. She'd warned Dante what would happen if he super-glued cat ears and a tail to Nero. She'd told him, along with Lady and Trish, several times that Nero probably wouldn't stop pummeling him until he was dead. Which is apparently what had happened as Nero stormed by her, the aforementioned items on his head and at his waist in all of their fluffy white glory.

Dante limped by half an hour later, having just regained consciousness, all the while mumbling. "And I thought it looked cute on him."

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**Wolfe: There's the first installment. More to come. Usually once a day or so. Sometimes twice if I'm in a good mood. Review! It feeds the muse and you know you want to.**


	2. Cold

**Wolfe: Yay next installment! Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing! Stop asking!**

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**5- Cold**

Vergil shivered softly as he awoke in a small cell, cold wind-blown air seeping in through cracks and lightly grated windows. The stone of the floor was nearly unbearable as he shifted softly, wincing as he pulled at his countless injuries.

How had he gotten here? _Why_ he was here was probably the better question. He shifted again, laying his lanky form out so he could fully asses his situation. He was covered from head to toe in countless bruises and cuts, some deeper than others. Below his ribs was gash that spanned his entire width, but it only oozed small droplets down his stomach.

As he he drew his knees to his chest, he couldn't stop the shiver that racked his frame. _Why was it so cold? _Was probably the best question of all.

**6- Caffeine**

"Who in their right mind gave the child _seven_ cokes!? Speak now or I'll beat all of you into the next millennium!" Trish stood at the top of the stairs, screaming like a mad banshee while Nero, Dante, Lady, Enzo and Morrison sat rigidly downstairs. Patty was running around the office wildly.

And singing. Quite horribly, they might've added. But the way Trish was glaring at them told them it was probably better just to keep their mouths shut and hope someone came clean in the next five seconds. Or that they all had really good doctors.

By the glare she sent them all, it was the latter.

**7- Puppies**

"But we have to! We can't just put them back outside!" Patty said, glaring at Dante and Nero, who were lounging against the couch, one scowling, the other grimacing at the soggy box(and just as soggy contents) that tumbled around on the floor. "Patty we have no room to keep five puppies until someone takes 'em. And you know that."

She simply glared at the two half demons before sitting on the ground, happily cuddling the pups as they tumbled into her lap and promptly fell asleep. All except one. Nero looked down to see the little pup tugging at his jean hem, mock growling as he teared away at his "foe". He bent down and picked the pup up, noticing how silky the black and white fur was, how bright and alert the green eyes were. "They are kinda cute..."

"Not you too Nero!!" Dante shouted as Patty cackled from her place on the floor.

**8- Terror**

Vergil flinched as the heavy door of his cell was flung open and he could hear the thumping of many boots on the stone floors. He wondered vaguely why they brought so many reinforcements. But really he knew. Since they had first tried to take him into _The Room_ to torture(they called it experimenting) him, he'd fought them with everything they had. But, according to the scientists, that had been nearly a year ago.

And really he didn't want to fight anymore. The injuries he had come in with had multiplied and he hurt so much, it pained him to open his eyes. And if he told the truth. He was frightened. He'd even go as far as to say terrified. Just when he thought there was no other way that they could hurt him, they came up with some new sadistic way to push him over the edge.

He heard a rattle as the chains around his wrists were released and he was picked up under his arms and brought to level with the head scientist. He hooked a finger under Vergil's chin, smiling at the frightened shudder that ran through his subject and the terror that danced in otherwise lifeless blue eyes.

"Finally." He hissed, delighting as his subject began tremble violently.

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**Wolfe: End of this installment! More coming soon!**


	3. Books

**Wolfe: Got the next set of prompts for you all. I realize it might seem weird to go for at a time but it's surprisingly easy to go at this number. But I digress. On with the disclaimer!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. But if I did....*maniacal laughter***

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**9- Books**

Lady blinked. Quite dumbly most would have thought as she stared at the massive downstairs library. Who would have known that Dante owned such an extensive collection of books? But not just books. Scrolls and tomes of all shapes and sizes littered the shelves and open notebooks and maps were strewn all over the work desk.

And at that desk slept Dante, slumped over a book, reading glasses lay low on the bridge of his nose. She crept over softly, as not to wake the sleeping hybrid, and unearthed the book from beneath his face. She quickly scrolled through the contents, slightly perturbed when she saw most of the script was written in devil language. "If you must know it's about the hell gates." She whirled around and said the first thing that came to mind.

"I didn't know you read demon script!"

**10- News**

"Dante! Dante! You gotta hear this." Dante groaned as he flung the magazine from his face onto the desk and looked at the two women standing in front of him. "What could be so important that you woke me up from my nap?" He drawled, lazily picking up the photos that had been lain on his desk.

And promptly dropped them. "W-where did you get these. How did you get these?" Trish shook her head and pointed to Lady. "Ask her. She met with the guy." She said. "Guy from a town about two hours from here called the other night complaining about a pack of hell hounds that kept moving back and forth through the town."

"Well apparently yesterday an old time wagon came through with the pack and the man started to take some pictures for photographic evidence. Caught this on the film that came out." Dante blinked rapidly. He was alive! His brother Vergil was alive! Hurt gravely, by the looks of the photo, but alive none the less. The only thing Dante wasn't able to comprehend was the look of terror on his twins face.

"We leave in an hour. Be ready." Was the only answer he gave the two women.

**11- Kitten**

"No! Nononononononononono!!!! Most absolutely not Trish!" Dante yelled as he stared blankly at the small bundle of silver fur in his partner's arms. "Why not?!" She cried and hugged the small animal closer. "We can not have a kitten! Remember last time I agreed to let an animal stay?" She sighed and nodded. "Exactly! Nero's damn puppy wasn't an ordinary puppy. Turned out it was a demon puppy!"

Trish smiled. That had been an interesting occasion. Demons had flooded the shop and while the others had been fighting them off while a few had cornered the puppy, now named Spitz. And the puppy had transformed and ripped them to pieces. "Now take that cat outside or to the pound and don't return with another!' He said while poking the small animal in the nose.

The kitten mewed in irritation, the sound growing into a steady growl as Dante continued the ministration through out his speech. Finally fed up he leaned forward and bit Dante, who reared back with a shout. "Damn cat!"

**12- Rescue**

Dante panted as he parried another demon's attack, flinging it against the wall. The head scientist, his last, dying deed had been to summon hundreds of demons just outside the cell block that Vergil was supposedly in. Lady and Trish lay unconscious on the ground, having defeated their fair share of the demons before the blood loss had caused them to keel over.

The numbers were dwindling, now in the low double-digits Dante turned just in time to see Nero's trigger flicker and fade out as he slumped to the ground, bleeding heavily from his back, which was now cut into ribbons. Dante knew the wire was low and he would need help getting his unconscious team out of the castle. Lady would be up and probably could limp out on her own but the poison in the talons of the demons Nero had been fighting would keep him down for the count for a few days.

He switched from Rebellion to Ebony and Ivory and began to fill the remaining demons full of holes, easily mowing down the remaining ones. He raced past the corpses and kicked open the great oak doors as he raced down the hall. Looking wildly from left to right as he searched for his brother. Finally, at the end of the row there was a form hunkered in a corner, shivering so violently it shook the chains around his neck.

This was who he was here for. To rescue his brother. His twin. He whistled once, cursing when he saw the violent jerk that wracked his brother's frame as he glanced up, eyes wide in fear and, when he saw Dante's face, hope.

"Hey Verge. First flight out of here leaves now. You on it or not?"

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**Wolfe: Some wonder why some of the prompts are longer than others and why some end in single sentences while others end in entire paragraphs. Truth is I have no answer to that question. Just happens like that. See you guys next time!~**


	4. Disgusting

**Wolfe: Next update! I don't know what else to say outside of that. *sweatdrop***

**Disclaimer: I own nothing! Back! Back foul lawyers!!**

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**13- Disgusting**

Patty gaped at the mess that was the Devil May Cry office. Pizza boxes stood in precarious towers here and there and pyramids of beer cans sat proudly on either side of the desk. Where the king of the most disgusting (in Patty's mind) kingdom, was fast asleep. He snored so loudly that she feared the beers cans would topple to the floor at any second and make her job all that much more tedious and annoying. She stormed up to the desk, broom and mop already in hand. She dropped the mop and raised the broom above her head, swinging it down hard and fast. Right onto the sleeping devil hunter's head.

Dante jerked awake with a shout, falling out of his chair with a resounding "Bang!" and Patty let a mocking smile spread across her face. In the years since she started cleaning the office she figured out that she needed to be able to fend for herself. And she had learned. And well, as Lady and Trish had told her. "I'm sorry Dante. Did I wake you?" Dante seemed to notice the vindictive note in her voice because he just blinked and stood, rubbing his aching...well everything now. "This is seriously the most disgusting thing I've ever seen in my life Dante! I go on vacation for two weeks and you manage to make the place look like a bunch of savages lives here." She continued to rant at him.

As he stared at her he said the first thing that came to mind. "I didn't think it was _that _bad." As she growled and raised the broom above head again, Dante couldn't help but think he _really _needed to learn how to keep his mouth shut.

**14- **Nosocomephobia

Creepy. That was the only word they could use to describe the wing of the hospital they were now in. Trish, Lady, Dante and Kyrie stayed close together as nurses eyed them warily as they searched frantically for the room number that would lead them to their injured friends. And enemy, if you were Trish and Lady considering they were here to see Vergil as well as Nero. Dante had been right. Trish had been able to limp out of the castle while assisting a barely-conscious Lady. Vergil had required assistance and had used Dante as a crutch(much to Vergil's chagrin, _'I am not that weak!'_) who had also been carrying the unconscious Nero in his arms. At first Dante had been worried by the amount of blood that was seeping from the wounds on the kid's back and the fact that his demon healing had not begun to close them.

But Trish had quickly deduced that the poison was probably preventing such an action. Which meant that Nero would have to be checked into a hospital so he could be stitched and bandaged up. But that's where the snag had been created. Nero had been rushed off to someplace further back in the hospital right away. But as the doctor had turned back around to tell them what was happening, he caught sight of Vergil and Lady. He'd demanded that they both be checked in right away, and Trish and Dante could tell that this sturdy old man of a doctor wasn't going to take no for an answer. Lady had agreed readily enough and was set up in the in-patient care ward for a night of observation.

Vergil had been more difficult. He'd stubbornly refused at first, trying to not let his fear show through his mask of petulance. But once Dante had stepped in as his next of kin and signed all of the necessary paperwork, he'd openly started to fight the doctors and nurses. Even though Vergil logically knew that he was no longer in the castle, the cold white interior of the hospital was reminding him. After fifteen minute of fighting and panicked refusal, Dante finally gave permission for them to sedate Vergil, having seen enough of his twin's terror. And that had been successful, even though the whole ordeal had resulted in bumps and bruises for the whole medical team, plus a black eye for Dante, who had jumped into the fray.

But as they crept into the shared room of Vergil, who was alseep, and Nero, who was still unconcious and on a nasal cannula, they all knew that they were leaving here with one thing only. A pathalogical fear of hospitals.

**15- Money**

"You still owe me Dante!" Lady shouted at him as she pounded the table harshly and glared at the other man across from her. Dante let the magazine slide off his face, much in his usual fashion, as he glared at her hotly. "And how do you figure that? Because I could have sworn that last time I took a job for you, you said it was payed off when the owner of that hotel gave us ten grand_ each_and you took most of it out right away!" He growled. "Yes, you were payed off. Until you broke my eight thousand dollar bike yesterday!" Dante winced. He was caught. And he'd covered the evidence so well too.

"What makes you think I crashed it and not some punk whole stole it or something?!" He questioned. He would not go back to working for her after he's just payed her off less than two weeks ago. "Because I found your wallet next to the remains of my _flaming, brand-new Honda!_" Busted! "Alright alright! So I took your bike! But it was so that old man's fault that we crashed! He had his power chair in the middle of the frickin' road! I couldn't see because of the car in front of me and I kinda.... rear-ended the car. But again, it was the old man's fault!"

Lady sighed heavily and angrily. "Damn you Sparda. Just....damn you." She sighed again as she pinched the bridge of her nose.

**16- Safety**

Vergil sighed wearily as he leaned back against the chimney of the Devil May Cry office, wincing and holding his stomach as he pulled on his many stitches. He had no idea what had attracted him to the roof, only that he'd been up here for a little over four hours now. Dante had come up twice to "make sure you hadn't fallen asleep" to which Vergil had given him a barely perceptible nod and returned to his star gazing. He'd been, well he guessed he could call it home, all things considering, for a little over a week now and by now he could already tell how certain people were going to treat him during his stay there.

Lady and Trish treated him with polite coldness or outright indifference. Kyrie treated him like a lost puppy that her family had adopted and, while he really didn't want her to, he found himself unable to protest her actions, for he knew that she meant well. Dante treated much the same as he had when they were younger, like a brother, teasing him but with his own subtle nudges here or there when the still tangible panic would set in. But that boy, Nero was his name, caught his interest. They'd brought him home from the hospital just two days ago and the boy had slept most of that time since then. But the times he had cast his gaze on Vergil, his eyes had been filled with alert curiosity and questioning.

Vergil was cast out of his reverie when thee subject of his train of thought hobbled over to where he sat, moving gingerly through the pain of his wounds. "Was wondering where you were." He heard Nero say quietly as he levered himself down and next to the other man. Vergil honestly didn't know what to think. No one but his brother had actually gone looking for him. But as Vergil began to, slowly and insecurely at first, converse with Nero, he found him to be a very good listener. So good, that Vergil accidentally let something slip he hadn't meant to. "I-I just haven't the slightest clue what this feeling could be. I figured that I would be jumping at every noise, every shadow I saw. And though I have been, it's not nearly as bad as I thought it would be." Nero seemed thoughtful as he stood again, staring at his Devil Bringer.

In a brilliant flash of blue and white light he had in his hand Yamato, in much the same condition it had been when he had first absorbed it. He laid the katana in Vergil's lap and his human hand on Vergil's shoulder. "I think you should have this back." With that said he turned and began to walk away. Just at the edge he stopped and, in a moment of insight, said; "Oh, the word you're looking for, is safety." With that said, Nero slid down the latter in Vergil settled back further on the chimney, Yamato in his lap.

Safety, what a wonderful feeling it really was.

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**Wolfe: Well there it is. More to come soon. A friend of mine suggested I do a side-story, focusing on the whole Vergil thing I've had going so far. Any suggestions? Until next time!**


	5. Games

**Wolfe: Back with another installment of _'The Situation Room'. _So far I've only gotten positive feedback, so I thank you! So without further ado, the story!**

**Disclaimer:...........Do I need to say it anymore?**

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**17- Games**

A fifteen year old Vergil was tired. And angry. But _no!_ Dante wanted to play tag. In the rain! Sometimes he wondered what went through his younger brother's head sometimes. But that was how he found himself now, two hours later.

He had, at first, played out of grudging kindness to his brother and, eventually, found himself enjoying the game. The rain and cover made it more of a game of cat and mouse, but with the slight underlining of the tag game they had started playing. Now Vergil found himself perched precariously on a high tree branch, holding on much like a cat would as Dante stared about aimlessly on the ground below him.

He watched as Dante leaned down and picked up a large branch, weighing it in his hands before, with blinding speed, whipped around and flung it high into the trees. His shoot was blind, hoping to flush Vergil out when the branch landed. But his aim was, unfortunately in this case, true and the branch came hurtling at him with frightening speed. Before Vergil could react the limb made contact with his chest and slammed him and itself down.

Vergil couldn't help the strangled cry that left him as his body plummeted to the ground and landed with a sickening thud. Dante ran swiftly over as he heard his twin's scream and got there just in time to hear the repulsing crack of bone shattering. As the rain picked up and Dante gazed upon his brother who was cradling a broken arm and trying vainly to avoid looking at his leg, which was bent at an odd angle and bleeding from a split above his eye.

What had started out as an innocent game had now morphed into a race against the clock.

**18- Dancing**

"I- I don't know Kyrie. You know I don't dance. Or look good in a tux for that matter either." Nero said as he held a pouting Kyrie on the couch, eying the flier she had handed him. In bold letters, the pink sheet of paper proclaiming a dance of sorts to celebrate the rebuilding of Fortuna and that anyone was allowed to come. And no doubt there would be a ton of people.

Because had grown up with Kyrie and Credo, he'd taken dancing lessons much like the two had. And found he frankly didn't care for it. It was too...organized. He was used to his usual hack and slash fighting style. Not the smooth swaying and prancing that happened to be dancing. But not that he could deny Kyrie much of anything, anyway.

"Pleeeeeaaaasssseeee!" She shouted and clung onto his human arm, pulling on it slightly, much like a small child would with a parent. He was able to ignore that, but when he looked over at her, she gave him _The Look_. And he knew that he was doomed. "Oh all right! We'll go!" Her happy squeal could be heard for miles.

**19- Dentist**

"You'll never take me alive! I refuse to go. Ever!" The people walking by and the businesses across the street knew it was that time of year again when they heard the banging and screaming coming from the Devil May Cry office that snowy December morning.

It was time to take Dante to the dentist.

Now all in all, going to the dentist wasn't really that harrowing of an experience and everyone that worked in the DMC office went. But Dante absolutely refused, usually violently every time. So everyone went two days before and spent the day before formulating a battle plan of sorts. And it was Vergil's first time in the fray of things. "Vergil," Lady asked of him that morning as they were closing in on the sleeping Dante. "Why is Dante so afraid of the dentist?"

Vergil paused to think for a moment, humming softly. "I believe it may have something to do with the fact that, when we were young, Dante had to have a tooth pulled, wouldn't sit still and the needle hit his tongue and not his gums. He was unable to talk for over six hours." He said with finality as everyone blinked dumbly.

**20- Revenge**

Nero cackled softly to himself as he finished what he was doing, tucking the face paints back in his pocket and quickly clicked a few photos with the camera he had around his neck. He quickly sprinted out of the room and flew down the stairs, knowing he only had about three minutes before the older devil hunter would be awake and he would be dead.

"Quick! Where's my keys? Hand me my keys!" His voice was a cross between fear and uncontrollable laughter as Lady, Trish and Vergil stared at him blankly. Trish cast him his motorcycle keys with an underhanded throw and Nero was out the door, not taking the time to explain his hurry. The last thing they heard as Nero's bike peeled away from the drive and down the road was Dante's enraged shout and his angry voice from the upper floor. "Get back here you little bastard so I can ring your neck! Your dead Nero! Dead!"

They cast each other anxious glances as a snarling Dante came down the stairs, glaring out from behind a large pair of floppy_ puppy ears._ The others just barely contained their laughter as Dante turned around, showing them a matching black tail. On his face were drawn on whiskers. At that, no one could stop as they fell over in laughter.

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**Wolfe: There it is, another installment! Review! Thank you!**


	6. Children

**Wolfe: I come bearing the next four prompts of _"The Situation Room"! _A special thanks to ExtremeRainbowRaiderPincess and SirenaLoreley for the lovely reviews. And without further ado, the new chapter!**

**Disclaimer:......Again, do I even need to say it?**

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**21- Children**

"Y-you want me to do what!?" Was the stuttered and disbelieving shout that left Vergil as he stared at the small gaggle of children sitting in the office, then casting his glance to Kyrie and Lady, who stood by the door. "We want you to look after the children we rescued from the school for a little bit. Just a short time, we promise." Kyrie said as she hugged one of the smallest girls tightly.

"Well, the town's pre-school got overrun by a bunch of Hell Prides and Lusts and the guys told us to get all the kids out and take them somewhere safe and we really didn't know where else to take them until their parents came and got them....and well here we are." Lady finished and gave Vergil an imploring look as she too held two small children in her arms and more clung to her waist.

Vergil cast his eyes to the ceiling, groaning internally. "The one day I choose not to accompany them on a mission is the day I turn into a glorified babysitter. Oh the irony."

**22- Halloween**

"No. I absolutely refuse to come out of this room. So you might as well just leave and go by yourself." Was the stubborn reply from behind the adamantly locked door as Dante pounded on it and Nero leaned against the wall, unable to keep the smile off his face as the older devil hunter pounded on the door of his twin. Why were they trying so desperately to pry Vergil from the comfort of his room?

It was Halloween and the Three Amigos were short one amigo. Dante had suggested that the three white-haired devil hunters go dressed as the Three Amigos, claiming "But it's so perfect! I mean just think about it!" So now they stood, dressed in Mexican clothing and large sombrero hats waiting for Vergil to leave the room so they could get started. But they were getting nowhere.

"I said no Dante! Leave me alone!" Dante sighed and hung his head and Nero was surprised. Was Dante really going to give up so easily? But as Dante reached the top of the stairs he suddenly turned around with a war cry and rammed his shoulder into the door, the lock giving way as he tumbled inside. Vergil gave an indignant yell. "Dante!"

**23- Carry**

Dante stared down at his brother, worried and unsure what to do? Should he run back to the house and get his parents or the neighbors to help him get Vergil back? Or should he carry his brother back so something else didn't happen to him while Dante was off? Vergil groaned softly as his eyes flickered and he caught himself just in time. That moment his decision was made for him.

"I'm gonna have to carry ya' back Verge. You're almost fallen asleep and-" Vergil cut him off. "I don't need to be carried." He grumbled sullenly, glaring at his brother and then at the ground as his eyes wavered with pain and fatigue. "The hell you don't! You're bleeding all over the place, you've broken we don't know how many bones and you barely can hold yourself upright. I'm carrying you home, whether you like it or not." Vergil sighed in defeat as Dante stooped and picked him up, carrying him bridal style.

In too much pain to really protest the younger twin's actions, he just leaned against Dante's chest and fell asleep. Dante was dimly aware of his brother losing consciousness. "Damnit it Verge, stay with me. We're gonna be home soon." Dante was no genius, but he knew enough to know that, with the amount of blood Vergil had loss and the stress his body was under......falling unconscious was the worst thing that he could have done.

**24- Anger**

Dante and Nero stood face to face, toe to toe as they growled at each other, the rest of the room watching in amused silence as the two devil hunters faced off. "What the hell possessed you to super-glue dog parts to me?!" Dante shouted, pressing harder against Nero's features, only getting madder as Nero pressed back with equal pressure and gall.

"I don't know. Probably the same thing that made _you_ super-glue cat parts to me! Were you thinking I wasn't going to retaliate, Old man?" Dante snarled. "I don't know what Kid. But you've got another thing coming if you think this won't have some serious repercussions." He sneered as Nero smirked, turning around and casually flipping the bird to the older man. "Bring it on, old man. Do your worst."

Everyone watched as both parties went their separate ways. "I'll call the insurance companies while you find the video camera." lady said to Trish while both laughed and went off to their assigned tasks, leaving the others gaping in their chairs, still reeling from the argument.

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**Wolfe: The end of this installment. More to come to come soon. Review! You all know you want to!**


	7. Rubber bands

**Wolfe: Hello~~~ ladies and gentlemen! I have come with the next installment of _"The Situation Room"_! I'm in a good mood today, can't ya' tell? XD**

**Disclaimer: I don't own it!**

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**25- Rubber-bands**

Dante smiled, wildly and happily. Oh Lady couldn't have picked a worse kind of office supplies to leave out in the open. A huge ball of rubber-bands, a foot in diameter with bands of all sizes and widths. Perfect for snapping any poor sap who came within five feet of the devil hunter for the next week or so.

He smiled as he grabbed the ball and hopped up the stairs. He slammed the door of his, now shared with Vergil, room and thanked whoever was upstairs that his twin wasn't there. He grabbed a few off the edge of the ball and stashed the rest away under his clothes in his closet. No-one would ever _dare _look in his closet. None of them had a death wish.

He crept down the stairs and crept over the foyer softly, looking for his first victims. And there they were! Now normally he couldn't dare take two on at once but the opportunity was too great to pass up. Right there, in the sunroom and facing in the opposite direction as him was Kyrie and Vergil, reading and in their own little world.

Jackpot!

**26- Hot Chocolate**

Lady would never understand how Nero could drink that stuff in the morning. Always, that was the first thing he did was make a pot of boiling water and find one of the biggest mugs they had in the cupboards and would grab the mix out of the drawer. But that was not the only thing that he felt compelled to have. He would reach into the fridge and grab out the bag of marshmallows and the bottle of strawberry syrup.

The first week he had done this everyone had tried to ignore it, continuing on with their tea and coffee. But after he had continued to do this for over a month, they couldn't really help but notice that he was a lot calmer after two or three mugs. No one knew why, but they weren't complaining. It was a lot quieter when he wasn't yelling at Dante every ten minutes.

But Dante was getting bored. The kid was too mellow a lot of the time and didn't take the bait that much anymore. It was like when you neutered a tom cat, for lack of a better saying. So everyone was not surprised, but a little apprehensive when the mix from the drawer disappeared and the store was mysteriously _"sold out"_.

They just hoped Dante knew a really good doctor or that his demonic healing covered hot chocolate deprived half-demons.

**27- Nightmares**

Nightmares. Usually not a word one would assimilate with a Son of Sparda. But nothing they did could really fall under the category of "Usually". Ever since his arrival home almost a year ago, and he had begun sleeping full nights, Vergil Sparda had been plagued with nightmares most horrible. But Vergil would never tell anyone, not on his life.

But Dante knew.

Kinda hard not to when shared a room. And a mindspace, so to speak. Several times he'd been thrown out of a wonderful dream by panicked cries that were bordering on hysteric and other times he would be shocked awake by the heat of another body pressed up against his back, wet tears soaking his shoulder. But he feared humiliating his brother or angering him, so he continued to pretend he was asleep.

But even now, months after they started, the nightmares were not letting up in the least and both twins were losing tremendous amounts of sleep. There had to be a way for him to calm his brother without making him feel too bad. Vergil was suffering, ever so greatly.

And Dante knew. But he could do nothing for his brother.

**28- Misconceptions**

_Knock knock knock. Knock knock knock._ All the men watched as the ladies in the office, Lady, Trish and Kyrie shared a smile and Trish stood to open the door, allowing entrance to a tall man. He was muscular and tan, standing a towering 6' 5" with spiky, swept back black hair and smiling teeth. But what caught the other men's eyes were the slitted blue eyes and slightly pointed teeth.

"You ladies called for an in-house special?" He said, voice a thrumming baritone. They watched as the ladies smiled and showed the man to the sunroom, their sensitive hearing picking up the click as the lock slid shut. "Now who do you think that could be?" Dante drawled, staring at his two companions. Nero appeared only vaguely interested as he tapped his pencil distractedly against the table and Vergil could have cared less as he flipped through the pages of his National Geographic magazine.

For over an hour, while the other two were occupied, Dante was treated to the sound of laughter and pleased sighing as the man worked whatever magic he was doing. A full two and a half hours later, all of them left the room, the girls waving out the door as they heard him shout one last thing over his shoulder. "Same time next week, ladies?" He was greeted with cheers from all of the girls.

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**Wolfe: Who could the mysterious man be? Hmmmm, you shall just have to wait and see. Review and find out!!**


	8. Polish

**Wolfe: I have the new set! Just like I promised. :)**

**Disclaimer:....Really? I still need to tell you? Fine. I. Don't Own. End of discussion.**

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**29- Polish**

Vergil sat, cross-legged on the floor of the sunroom, coat thrown over the back of a near-by chair as he carefully unsheathed Yamato and lay the blade in his lap, the sheathe being set at his side. He picked up a small terrycloth and dipped it into the small container of wheat oil that sat by his feet, rubbing the blade with soft, meticulous circles.

He had never thought of using oil before coming here, but it made it so much easier to slide the blade out without making so much as a sound. And it kept the blade from getting dirty longer, the blood dripping off the tip as he swung it.

Polishing weapons had become a sort of communal activity. Usually Vergil would start first, Nero and Lady following fifteen minutes later and then finally Trish and Dante. The time was usually occupied by companionable silence or joking and laughing, depending on the number of missions they had taken that day and how tired everyone was.

But he was pretty sure it was the only time Dante ever really shut up.

**30- Movies**

Nero smiled. Ohhhh, this was too good to be true! Everyone sat in the upstairs living-room, the large upstairs having been converted into a home for them( they had three rooms and Nero had won the lot for his own room, much to everyone's ire) and they were sitting anywhere they could, 3-D glasses perched on their noses as they watched the unrated version of "My Bloody Valentine".

And Dante was currently cowering behind the couch.

Oh the irony. The great devil hunter, the red demon and son of the Dark Knight Sparda was terrified of horror movies. No one had been able to ignore it when he had dove behind the couch and stayed there. They were just trying not to embarrass him, disguising their laughter. Or at least trying to, they were sucking at it frankly.

But as the movie ended, Dante stuck his head up and said with only a _slight _stutter. "G-great movie, huh guys?" No-one could contain their raucous laughter.

**31- Insurance**

"This is..._un-frickin'-believable!! You really used that much of our coverage in a year!?"_Lady screamed as she held up the tri-folded insurance statement. Not long after everyone had moved in, they had decided it wise to invest in a lot of insurance. Property, Health and Home insurance to be exact. They had decided on an umbrella package that would cover everything.

And they were shocked that, after all of the pranks that the boys were constantly playing on each other, the countless demon infestations and more, they used a lot of the coverage for it. And the price for everything...just short of a state's entire mint. No joke.

"This is _so _going to add on to you debt, Dante!" There was an indignant shout from the other room. "How is this my fault!?"

**32- Secrecy**

Dante snarled, muscles tensed as the strange man again, for the fourth time that month, invaded his home and left for the sunroom with the girls. Plus Nero and Vergil. They had started last week and had told the girls, both rather happily, that they would pitch in if they didn't mind joining them. The girls were all too happy oblige. But no-one was telling Dante what the man was here for, though.

The man, Tyler by name, made Dante so very uneasy. And no-one believed him when he said there was something about the man that shouldn't be trusted. They just brushed him off and told him that they could take care of themselves _if _anything ever did come up. Which they were pretty sure would never happen.

Dante didn't know what compelled him to follow Tyler back that night after he left the shop, he truly didn't. But while everyone was still sitting in the sunroom, he grabbed Ebony and Ivory, plus Rebellion off the wall and tailed him down the street for well over three miles before Tyler entered a small wall shop, painted light blue with the words _Fang Massage _above the door in bold black script.

Dante crept to the side and peered into a window, only to be treated to the flash of talon and the glint of pale blue-green scales in the fading sunlight.

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**Wolfe:I'm sorry for the late update! I know I promised to update daily but we had a small... altercation at the restaurant we went to and I just left the hospital. More coming on schedule though. I promise. More on the mystery man, Tyler. If anyone can guess what he is or his purpose, I will happily give you a very large Ice Cream Cone!! Bye!**


	9. Soda

**Wolfe: Hello everybody!! I have come with the next set of prompts. Like I promised.**

**Disclaimer:.......Duuuuuuuhhhhhhhh.**

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**33- Soda**

Trish sighed, lifting another case of cola into the hall-way broom closet, turning to make sure she had grabbed all of them. It was downright ridiculous how much of this stuff they went through now. Lady and Kyrie often drank it on the fly while Nero preferred it with dinner. Vergil had a secret affinity for the drink and Dante ate it every time he had pizza. Enough said right there.

Plus Patty and Morrison had a bad habit of picking up a few and taking it with them when they left. All together, they went through over five crates of soda a week. It was whomever's turn it was to go shopping to make sure that the supply was kept full. Or there probably would be severe consequences for that person for their failed duty.

She shook her head again, closed the door and walked away, still sighing.

**34- Spitz**

"C'mon Spitz! Time to go for a walk boy!" Nero's voice rang through the shop as the small black and white dog skidded over the foyer and to his feet. He had grown attached to the little dog since he had convinced everyone else it was a good idea to keep the puppy after Patty had brought the rain soaked box inside.

If only they had known at the time that they hadn't taken in a regular puppy.

Oh no! They had adopted a demon puppy. The normally beagle-sized dog had the ability to transform into a monstrous, horse-sized, ice-spitting demon dog. They had found out the hard-way. Nero smiled as he walked down the street, Spitz dancing ahead on his leash, greeting people with a bark and a smile. People would bend down and croon at him while kids would pet him enthusiastically, giggling when he licked their faces.

As they walked away, Nero smirked. They had no idea.

**35- Music**

"NO! You can't take it! It adds character to the room!" Dante pleaded of Lady and Trish as the movers carted away his beloved juke box. Lady snorted. "Character? More like unneeded clutter. It's too late now. It's gone, we sold it, go cry into your pillow and so on. The new radio will be here in a few days." With that, both women left the room.

Dante sulked for the rest of the day, sitting moodily at his desk, staring longingly at the spot where the juke box once sat, now occupied by a small black entertainment center. No-one else seemed to care really. But he did. He'd had that juke box since he'd open the shop over ten years ago. Vergil passed his brother sulking, shaking his head.

"As always, such a child." He said and walked away.

**36- Intervention....?**

Tuesday. He always came on Tuesdays, around six in the evening. Like clockwork, unfailing. They ate dinner and everyone went about their nightly activities until the re was footsteps at the door._ Knock Knock Knock. Knock Knock Knock. _Tyler was here. And it was time for Dante to make his stand.

Kyrie opened the door as the others greeted him and walked to the back room. "Tyler! Can I talk to you for a moment?" Dante called and Tyler nodded, motioning that Kyrie should go join the others. Tyler paced up to the desk, all disarming smile and gentle voice. "What can I do for you?" Dante curled his lip and stood up, reaching for Ebony and Ivory. Tyler's ice blue eyes widened in fear as he backed up against the door, arms up in the universal signal for _"I'm clean! Don't shoot!!"._

"Get out of here. Right now! Before I get the privilege of telling everyone what you _really _are." Tyler lowered his head, and for a minute Dante thought he was just going to submit and leave. But as Tyler raised his head again, Dante saw flashing eyes and a feral grimace, snarls ripping from his throat as he stepped towards Dante.

"What I _really _am, hmmm? Fascinating. Then if you know that, then you should know what I'm _really _capable of, right?" The last word was a chuckle as Tyler's muscles coiled under his skin visibly. Tyler sprang and, in a knee-jerk reaction, Dante did the only thing he could think of at that very moment.....

_ Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!_

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**Wolfe: Le gasp! What have I done!? Well that's for me to know and for you to find out in a couple of days. See ya later!**


	10. Fruits

**Wolfe: Hello world~! I have the new set of prompts!! Again! Thanks to everyone for the favorites and reviews, you've been so helpful!!**

**Disclaimer: Wolfe + DMC= No Own **

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**37- Fruit**

"Banana? No. Apple? No. Pear? Not. Peach? Not a chance in a frozen hell." Dante sighed heavily as he slammed the door of the cupboards in the kitchen roughly, frowning at the complete lack of junk food in the house at the moment. "Lady! Where's the chips and stuff and I had in here last week?!" There was soft laughter from the other room and a whisper of "No-one told him?" that sounded like it had been issued from Vergil.

Dante stalked into the front room where everyone was sitting, bored and with no jobs or anything else to do, doing their best to entertain themselves. "Told me what?" He asked suspiciously, crossing his arms and tapping his foot, much like an angry ten year-old would do when he knew his parents were pulling a joke on him. And he didn't like it.

"Quite simple, brother. We decided that we're all going to start eating healthier. We burned all the junk food two nights ago and bought a bunch of health foods yesterday. And no more junk food is allowed in the house."

Dante nearly fainted right then and there.

**38- Race**

"Damnit! Where's the house? Where's the house!?" Dante jumped over a fallen limb, careful not to jostle the unconscious form of his twin, who was still cradled in his arms. Dante had been forging his way through the dense forest for nearly an hour now, unaware of how far their game had taken them from the house. And from help.

He was by now panicking. Vergil had not stirred once since he had first dropped off and Dante's arms and chest were beginning to become slick with blood and rain. He stopped for a second, maneuvering his arm so he could reach up and place a hand on Vergil's forehead. This brought an annoyed moan from his twin and Dante was relived to feel that his skin was still warm. He'd not been frozen through by the rain, but that didn't mean he was safe from the fever.

Dante readjusted and took off again, booted feet pounding against the ground. Another twenty minutes passed before he heard the roar of cars and the sound of worried voices. "Where could they be?" and "Do you think something could have happened?" Their father's voice rang over all of the others. "Alright everybody! Let's calm down. Remember, stick with your groups and if you find them, call the sheriff over the SAT. phones." Now they didn't live in a small community, but it was small enough to be caring. And their little suburb often banded together when neighbors needed help.

Dante kicked some speed into his tired legs and pushed through the last of the foliage and into the huge yard behind their house. Voices filled with shock, worry and relief surrounded them as they were rushed by several dozens of people. Dante was dimly aware of Vergil being lifted from his arms, his mother's voice and his father's hands on his shoulders, shaking gently. "Dante! Are you hurt? Can you tell me what happened!? Dante!?" Dante was unable to answer his father, for he had already fallen forward, unconscious and oblivious.

**30- Laundry**

"Damnit Dante! I am _not _your maid! I though the rule was that you had to do your own laundry?" Dante cast Trish a bored look. "I do my laundry." He whined, a wheedling sound as he picked his feet up from the desk and let his socked feet land on the wooden floor with a soft _'Thump!'_. He was, for once, not wearing his boots inside. Lord knows that too months of training to drill that into his brain.

"Sure you do. That's why I usually end up throwing it in with mine?" Dante looked affronted. "No wonder my clothes have started to smell all girly! What do you use, lavender?" Trish just barely resisted the urge to smack him as she stalked towards the laundry room. "Just don't let it happen again!"

**One Week Later**

"Damnit Dante!!!" Dante was just able to fling the magazine off of his face as Trish stormed down the stairs, snarling in anger. "I thought I told you to do your laundry!?" Dante scrabbled at straws as he grasped for a suitable answer. "I was just about to get up an do it!" He shouted, nearly cowering for fear of what she would to him. All he got in response was a face full of his dirty laundry. "Lair!!!!"

**40- Revelations**

The sound of the gunshots rang through the early evening air, accompanied buy the sickening thud of a lifeless body hitting hard ground as Dante stood on the threshold, eyes slightly unfocused as the double doors hung uselessly on their hinges. He hadn't meant to set him off. To kill him. There were shouts from the sunroom and everyone else came pounding into the room, weapons drawn. "What the hell was that?" Nero asked, hand on the grip of Red Queen.

Dante didn't speak, just pointed out the door and stepped aside. Trish and Lady stepped up first, Nero and Vergil following. They gaped. "He started it." Was Dante's explanation when he knew full well that it was his fault. He'd called Tyler out, set him off and then shot him dead. But what they were seeing shocked everyone.

Nothing. Absolutely nothing.

"You sure you're not losing it old man? There's nothing there." Dante's head whipped up and he pushed to the front of the small pack of people. And let his jaw drop. There was _nothing. _No body, not a drop of blood or anything to indicate any wrongdoing. He stepped forward and looked at the ground. "I could'a swore I put four rounds in him. No demon could survive that!" Lady quirked her head to the side. "Demon? What demon? And where's Tyler?" Dante turned to the group.

"That's the demon. I shot Tyler." Before the others could burst out in angry protest, everyone froze as a feral snarl resonated from the roof above them. The temperature dropped a great deal and everyone felt the cold permeate their skin. But not regular cold. Feral, hostile, demonic cold. Drawing weapons, they waited.

Then there was a soft noise from above, the clouds blotted out and a great form came into their line of view. An Assault. A flying Assault. The great beast landed on it's back legs and then settled on it's front At that time they got a good look at the demon. Blue-green scales glinted brightly, fangs and talons long and intimidating, blue, slitted eyes alert and intelligent. This was no Assault. This was something bigger, more dangerous.

A Dragon. Not very common nowadays.

Faster than any of their eyes were able to pick up, the Dragon sprang, wings beating the air. All they heard was happily evil laughter, and Dante's shocked screaming as he was lifted by his belt and the collar of his shirt, twirled around violently, then flung away from them. _Far _away. "Fore!" The sound of the dragon's voice was distorted. But recognizable none the less.

"Tyler?!?!" Was the chorus from everybody. So distracted were they, they never heard the loud splash of Dante landing in the near-by bay. Though they did hear the final shout of _"Touch Down!!" _from Tyler, His scaly muzzle splitting in a grin.

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**Wolfe: Yes, I realize that the last prompt was long, but it had to be done. I have now come to the conclusion (through several e-mails) that people want me to do the whole Vergil deal on the side. So that will be started shortly, probably as soon as I reach somewhere near fifteen chapter on this on (3/5 done) and I'm sure I won't be too distracted. Thank you for listening to the long note. I wish you great luck and an excellent "Happy Smartass Day"!!!**


	11. Chopsticks

**Wolfe: Hello everyone!!! More prompts with the lovely readers' names on it. Here we go!!**

**Disclaimer: Capcom + DMC = Ownership**

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**41- Chopsticks**

There was a heavy knock on the doors of Devil May Cry late one chill November evening, the shout of "Bamboo Palace Chinese Food! I have an order for a Mister...." The sound of rustling paper, presumably the receipt was heard. "Oh! A Mister Sparda here." Dante was up and across the room in seconds, flinging the door open with great zeal.

"That would be me!" He said, deceptively calm after his mad dash across the room, as he reached for his wallet, payed the man and accepted the three heavy bags from him. The man left and Dante closed the door, hefting the bags into the kitchen. But before he called anyone into the room, he rummaged through the bags quickly, pulling out a few objects before he let the vultures at the food.

A couple of fortune cookies and three of the sets of chopsticks, stuffing them into the pockets of his coat. Lady had caught him at this very act once before and would laugh subtlety at him across the table every time they ate out. He's heard her tell Trish once that the only reason Dante ever payed for Chinese food was so he had a reason to be near the bags before the others, so he could grab the little packets.

If only she knew.

**42- Guitar**

Vergil sighed. He should of accepted Lady's offer. Followed Nero's advice. He should have invested in a pair of earplugs the day he bought Dante a new guitar for his birthday. Not that Dante was bad at it. On the contrary, he was very good. But he loved to play loudly. _Very _loudly.

He'd felt badly about what happened to Dante's old guitar. It had been caught up in the crossfire of another house invasion by demons and Vergil had, whilst backed into a corner by several Shadows, accidentally slashed it into sawdust. Dante had been devastated. So with the help of a near-by music store, he chosen his brother a brand-new guitar.

It was an excellent example of craftsmanship, really. Blood red with the most elegant black tribal markings scrawled over it's entirety marked the instrument as one of a kind. And Dante had loved it, so much to the point that he glomped Vergil in an over-enthusiastic hug the minute the guitar was safe in it's rack.

But if it was one thing Vergil knew, the next time he went out, he was going to pick up an economy sized package of earplugs. Preferably _before _he went deaf.

**43- Trees**

Nero sighed, leaning back against the tree trunk in the midst of a dark, thick forest. And when he said dark and thick, he meant it. He couldn't much as reach his hand out half-way without bumping into another tree and so dark it was hard to see three feet in front of him.

He should have never take this job. Really he shouldn't have. The guy offering, while giving a lot of cash for a good job, had looked and acted very shady during Nero's conversation with him. It was supposed to be simple. A nest of weak demons and maybe one stronger demon that needed to be flushed out of the near-by forest. Nothing suspicious there, right?

Wrong!!! The minute he'd set foot near the nest, he'd been set upon by Shadows and Assaults. Not just a few, well over a hundred all together. As he began ripping the creatures apart (glad he had borrowed Beowulf and Cerberus from Dante's collection of Devil Arms) he heard the angry roar of the stronger demon. Or as the case may have been, stronger _demons._Not one. Oh no, that would have been too easy, but three. Two Frosts and a Neko-Youkai.

He'd run then. Behind him he heard several resounding _"Thwacks!!"_and he's glanced over his shoulder just long enough to see what was causing them. Demons left and right were running into the tightly packed trees. They would shake their heads, snarl and resume their chase. Fearing what would happen if he didn't hurry up and lose them, he funneled some demonic energy into his legs and sped ahead, rocketing into a tree.

He sat there now, still trying to catch his breath. Below he heard the unmistakable snarl of the demons and he tensed, reaching for Blue Rose and aiming it down. He never thought about behind himself and he didn't notice the two Shadows that made their way behind him. Until it was too late anyway. The closeness of the trees made the advantage perfect for the two demons to spring forward and send all three of them sprawling to the ground below. These tree would be the death of him.

Maybe quite literally.

**44- Negotiations**

As the shock of the moment wore off, Tyler was hyper aware of the remaining devil hunters' weapons being pointed in his direction, sword and gun tips pressing closer to his ornate scales than he would like. He knew his secret was out now, no point in hiding who, or what, he was now. He stood upon his back legs, using his tail for balance, and raised sharply taloned paws in the air, surrendering, but not submitting.

"Now let's all calm the hell down for a minute!" He said, his distorted growl sounding more menacing then he meant it to be. All this earned him was a soft warning stab from a very sharp Yamato. "Why should we!?" Lady shouted, two handguns trained on the dragon's chest. "You just threw Dante across town!" He gaped. "It was self-defense! The bastard shot me!! And I didn't throw him _that _far!" Vergil sneered. "You don't look as if you've suffered any injury thus far. How do we know you aren't lying to save yourself?"

Tyler cautiously lifted on paw, one that looked much like a wolf's, to his chest and right shoulder. Carefully he dug a talon in underneath several of his scales and wiggled it a little, snarling in pain. Then they heard it. _Plink. Plink. Plink. Plink. _The sound of metal hitting the pavement of the road. They watched as blue-black liquid dripped from four new holes on his chest, Tyler shivering slightly. Dragons didn't have much blood to lose, so he held a paw over the wounds, pressing hard.

Everyone glanced to where the dragon's feet were, eyes widening. There lay four shell casings.

"My scales have a nasty habit of closing over wounds. It's a defense mechanism. Dragon's can't lose a lot of blood. We don't have much to spare." To attest his statement, Tyler wobbled and fell back on all fours, left paw soaked with blood, His wings wrapped around his chest, a makeshift bandage. Seemingly realizing he was no longer a threat, probably never was, they replaced their weapons in their respective sheaths and moved forward.

Tyler had lay down and passed out, reverting back to a very human state. A human state that was bleeding all over the ground. That tore it. Tyler may have been a half-demon(or a full demon, they didn't really know), but he obviously had no intention of hurting any of them. probably never did. Vergil scooped him into his arms as Nero held the doors open, the girls already having gone inside to ready orbs, potions, the first aid kit and the kitchen table, which often got turned into an operating table.

Looks like any important discussions would have to wait a while. As would finding Dante.

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**Wolfe: There it is. That set is finished. Hmmmm, I seem to have made Dante the villain once again. I wonder if I should make someone else the villain? Oh well! More coming soon!! Review!! Press the little green button at the bottom of the screen for free Ice Cream!!!!**


	12. Candles

**Wolfe: Hello everyone!! I come bearing good news. Not only do I have the next few prompts, my new story _"Ice and Fangs: Twins Awakening" _should be ready soon! Special thanks again to SirenaLoreley and Bitbyboth for the lends of their OCs. But enough of my rambling, on with the set!!**

**Disclaimer: I have no possession of anything. For the last time.**

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**45- Candles**

Trish blinked. "Now who could these belong to?" She mused as she shifted the pack of vanilla-lavender scented candles in her hands. It was a large pack to. Fifteen light-purple candlesticks. She knew no-one in the house, besides herself and Lady anyway, who would want pack of candlesticks that smelt like a spring meadow.

"Ahem." She whirled around at the curt noise of someone clearing their throat behind her and calmed down once she realized that it was only Vergil. "Don't you know that's it's not polite to rummage through someone's possessions?" Her jaw dropped.

"These are your's!?" She said and held up the pack, smirk gliding across her face when his lit up with a light pink tinge. "So what if they are?" He stammered out and snatched the pack, and all the bags from her. "Nothing's wrong. I just didn't think you were that in touch with your feminine side."

Her raucous laughter could be heard for miles as Vergil blushed darkly and stormed up the stairs.

**46- Busy**

"Trick-Or-Treat!" The call could be heard for hours on the night of October 31st. Not so much for our faithful crew, who were currently moving through packs of demons. This was the busiest night of the year for devil hunters of all shapes, sizes and skill levels. "I swear, there are more and more every year!!" Nero cursed as he hacked through two Sin Scissors, demon parts and blood splattering the ground all around him.

"What's the matter kid? Getting tired already?!" Dante leered from his place on top of a warehouse, hacking away at the body of a Faust. "You wish old man! I already got forty-two!" It was like this every year. Split up into teams of two, kick ass, then go home. Dante and Nero had gotten the task of patrolling the warehouse district. So they decided to make a little competition out of it.

First to a hundred demons won. The prize was winner's choice. They knew there was a lot a stake. "You're slow kid! Fifty!" Nero cursed under his breath, using Devil Bringer to wrap around the body of a Scarecrow and draw it near him, Blue Rose instantly turning it into a pile of ash. Yup, they were busy alright.

**47- Guns**

Vergil stared at the twin pistols that sat on his brother's desk, Ebony and Ivory. Excellent craftsmanship had been put into theses two guns and he could tell, no matter his opinion on firearms. He'd only once wielded a gun, in his fight against Arkham with his brother, having shot Ebony. He wondered what it would feel like to wield them all the time.

But no. He detested guns. They were cumbersome and inelegant, unlike his sword. Sure you could pick off your enemies at long distances, but was that really a true and honorable way to fight? No, he was not calling his brother dishonest, it just went against his morals. Besides, he was know to use projectiles too.

He sighed and walked away from the desk. Things had changed since his rescue. He truly didn't know what to think anymore. He cast one last glance back at the pistols and shook his head. No, this was one thing that would never change in his mind. Ever.

**48- Collar**

It took them well over an hour, but finally they managed to stop the bleeding. The skin around the wounds had been ripped by Tyler's talons when he had pried the bullets out and inside had been torn through by Ebony and Ivory's high-velocity bullets. There were no exit wounds, which meant that his scales had detained most of the damage.

It took two green orbs and five vital stars before they managed to get his color back, the loss of blood being felt by both his human form and his dragonic form. Trish sat next to the couch where he now lay, head elevated on a pillow and covered in several blankets, trying to keep the warmth next to him. Everyone else sat near-by, watching as Tyler would shift and whimper, shaking his head from side to side as if in the throes of a nightmare.

Not long after they had moved him to the couch five hours ago, Tyler had contracted Wound Fever from the blood loss and his temperature was slowly hiking upwards, currently hovering at 102.4. Trish sighed as she lay another cool cloth on his forehead. "It's not letting up. Do we have anything that can slow this down?" She asked, only to be met by a shake of the head from Lady. "No. We grabbed everything when we grabbed the first aid kit, remember?" Trish nodded.

"Why do I have the feeling that we're forgetting something?" Nero sighed as he leaned back in the rolling chair behind the desk. Just then the doors of the office slammed open and a very soggy Dante stormed in, dripping water on the floor. Lady glanced up at him, then the puddle on the floor, frowning, but not saying anything. Dante glanced about the room, scowling when he saw Nero reclining in his chair.

Then he saw Tyler curled up on the couch.

"Oh nonononononono!! Sleeping dragon off the couch!!!" He shouted and stormed to the couch, intent on throwing the unwanted visitor out of the house. Bodily if the need arose. Only to be met by Luce in between his eyes. "Don't even think about." He was aware of another gun trained on the back of his skull, most likely Lady. "And why not? The bastard currently sleeping on my couch threw me into a bay!!"

"Here's the problem genius. He's not sleeping. He's unconscious. Your bullets did a lot more damage than you think." Lady snapped from behind him and his eyes widened. He gently pushed Trish out of the way and tossed back the blankets that covered the other injured half-breed. His chest was swathed in bandages that were dotted with blotches of blue-black and red substance. Blood, and a lot of it from the looks of it.

"Happy now, brother? You've endangered a rare specimen's life because you jumped to conclusions. If young Tyler doesn't pull through, it will be on you. I do hope you realize that he threw you because he had no desire to fight you or hurt anyone." Dante's eyes widened as his brother's words sunk in.

He'd shot an innocent man

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**Wolfe: There it is. Now I call for audience participation. Should I continue giving you glimpses or should I make you wait until "_Ice and Fangs" _begins? You vote. The version in _"Ice and Fangs" _will be different in several aspects. It's up to you!! Good day and good luck!!**


	13. Leash

**Wolfe: I have more!! And I don't have much more to say other then I got another chapter of _"Ice and Fangs" _coming up in a few hours or so, depending on how much I get done before I have to go to work.**

**Disclaimer: I've searched and searched through all of my documents and have found not one saying I own DMC. Oh well.**

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**49- Leash**

"No! Spitz! Come back here!! Nero will kill me if you get lost!" Dante screamed after the small black and white dog as he took of across the park and into the surrounding trees, half of the broken leash trailing behind him as demonic bays shook the evening air as he transformed and continued his chase. Dante stood speechlessly, the handle and part of _steel _leash in his hands.

Nero had caught a cold and had asked(okay whined really but Dante wasn't going to say anything) for him to take Spitz for his evening walk. Dante had grudgingly agreed, willing to set aside their ongoing prank feud for a half an hour and walk the small dog. Who had seen a deer, transformed and bolted off. He'd thought the park was a good place for a walk, thinking the near-by forest would give Spitz a chance for playing.

Oh he was playing alright. Tag with a deer.

Dante bolted after the hellhound, screaming his head off, unaware of the police radioing for a tranquillizer gun and a lot of back-up.

**50- Rain**

Lady sighed. The loved the sound of rain pounding against the roof of buildings and on the concrete outside. It had always had a greatly calming effect on her for some reason. Then again, she really couldn't complain. Everyone had their own way of relaxing, hers just happened to be listening to the rain.

She sat in the sunroom, on the sill of the big wall window and staring out into the darkness the surrounded the town, the rain splashing into their backyard and making tiny implosions when they landed. The repetitive sound and motion washed away the worries of her day and she relaxed against the side. Before she knew it, sleep had overcome her.

**Two Hours Later**

"Hey does anyone know where Lady went?' Trish asked as she stared about the room, eying everyone else who was bored out of their minds. "Dante pointed lazily into the sunroom and Trish walked over, opening the door quietly. "Lad-" She stopped short as she saw Lady, slumped in the window sill and asleep. She smiled softly and shut the door again, leaving the only sound in the room to be the gentle sound of rain hitting the ground outside.

**51- Mistaken**

Nero groaned as the world around him came back into focus, his head throbbing, bleeding from claw marks all over his body and a deep bitemark on the back of his neck. Around him was a dark cave, the only light coming from Devil Bringer and eerie plant-like tentacles surrounding the...nest he was sitting in. And his weapons were nowhere to be seen.

Oh goody. He was trapped in the nest of some demon and in too much pain to get up and run away, plus he was defenseless. Probably broke something during his fall from the trees. He tried sitting up and realized that he was already supported by something big. And furry.

And _breathing._

The blood left his face, leaving a deathly pallid color in its place. Oh god he was going to be eaten. Behind him he heard the sound of a low rumbling growl and he froze, hoping whatever it was wouldn't notice that he was there. He turned to see the Neko-Youkai, looking for all the world like a very large gray cat, staring down at him with half-lidded red eyes.

The demon leaned down and opened its jaws slightly and Nero had a sinking feeling as his apparent end neared. _'So long everybody. At least Dante can't kill me now for putting super-glue in his boxers.' _were his last thoughts as he closed his eyes and readied for the pain of sharp teeth. Only to be ruffled by the demon breathing in. A purr began to rumble in the demon's chest and it leaned forward, licking Nero from waist to head.

Nero froze.

And screamed internally.

**51- Forgiveness**

Dante paced across the floor, growling irately to himself. Idiot idiot idiot!!! He berated himself. Tyler never showed any sign of malicious intent. He didn't growl or snap whenever someone would be malicious towards him. He didn't transform until _after_ Dante had shot him. Didn't rip him limb from limb even when he deserved it. And still he couldn't get his brother's words out of his head.

"_If young Tyler does not pull through this, it will be on you."_

_Does not pull through. _What a way to phrase 'was murdered because some idiot didn't think before he shot.' He sat constant vigil now next to the bed while everyone else slept on around the room where thy sat. Tyler's fever had abated a day and a half after he had contracted and Tyler's own version of demonic(or dragonic, as the case may have been) healing slowly healed all the internal and external injuries Tyler had.

Nero had given up his bed so Tyler could sleep in peace without being disturbed by the daily noise the shop created, so for now, Nero slept downstairs on the couch. Twice Tyler had awoken in the three days since the accident, eyes glassy with pain and fever as he apologized and thanked them for their help. But before Dante could talk to him he would always fall unconscious, and slept without movement. Now the clock over the archway to the room struck twelve and Dante sighed. Looked like he wasn't going to get anywhere tonight.

He stood and was halfway to the to the door when he heard the stuttered, pained call. "D-ant-te." The voice was most definitely Tyler's. Dante whirled around to see Tyler lifting a shaking hand from underneath the covers, blue eyes trained and determined as they stared Dante. Dante came back over and sat in the chair and, in an uncharacteristic gesture of kindness, wrapped Tyler's hand in his own. "Listen Tyl-" Tyler cut off his apology with an agitated shake of his head.

"N-no. Not you f-fault. You r-reacted like anyone w-would. D-don't b-blame yourself." As Tyler continued to talk, blood began to ooze from between his clenched teeth and Dante almost panicked, trying everything he learned from watching Trish and Lady do when Tyler had been keyed up the other times he'd awoken. He smoothed Tyler's hair back gently and shushed him. Surprisingly, what worked the best was humming quietly, a nameless tune that Dante couldn't place, but worked at calming the struggling Dragon the best.

Tyler's last words as he slipped back into unconsciousness were whispered quietly, so quietly that his improved hearing struggled to hear it. "I never blamed you. Sorry I made you worry."

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**Wolfe: There ya' go. Yea, I made Dante a little OC but it served the purpose. I'll turn him back as soon as I can, promise! Now review or perish!!!**


	14. Wolvesweed

**Wolfe: *cowers* I'm sorry!! I didn't mean for it to take so long! I just got finished moving and all the other crap I had to take care of began to interfere with writing. But I have a new update, so I hope that makes up for something.**

**Disclaimer: I have no clue how Capcom can't trust me to own them, but I don't.**

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**53- Wolvesweed**

Vergil sighed as he leaned up against the headboard of his bed, head resting in his hands. "Another nightmare." He mumbled wearily, looking at his shaking hands. They still hadn't stopped, even after months of being in the safety of Devil May Cry. Was there something really wrong with him?

He knew for sure that Dante knew. Kind of hard not to when you suddenly had an extra body in your beds most nights. But his brother, though Vergil knew he was dimly awake when he did join his brother, was covering it up as not to embarrass him. He also knew that Dante was working his ass off trying to find a way to help him. But even after hours and days of poring over books and searches at the library, he'd come up with nothing.

Vergil dragged himself out of bed, feeling more tired than he had last night, as he quickly and efficiently moved through his daily ablutions. He trooped down the stairs, socked feet thumping quietly on the wood. And stopped on the bottom step, surprise covering his face.

In the commons room was Dante in his chair behind his desk while a light-skinned man stood behind him, dressed in traditional Japanese clothes as he sat there impassively, waiting for somebody. When he stopped on the stairs, the man looked up and smiled softly. "Is this him, Mr. Dante?" His brother nodded as he stood from the desk and paced over to Vergil, pushing him gently to the sunroom while the other man followed.

When they got there, Dante decided to explain what was happening, seeing as Vergil was too stumped to really protest. "Nomamaru-san has a proven natural remedy to help with your problem." He said the word "problem" with a slight emphasis. Vergil gave him an angry/exasperated look, but sat down when he was motioned to the couch. "My name is Eli Nomamaru. Call me Eli. Your brother has told be you are suffering night terrors, but do not wish to seek out help. Is that so."

Vergil sighed and resigned himself to his fate. "It is." He mumbled and watched as Eli took from his bag what looked like a box of teabags. "This is Wolvesweed and Chamomile. They will help you sleep and will prevent your nightmares. I give them to you for a trial offer for one week. If they work, I will make you some more. If they don't, well, let's just hope that they work. Brew them as a tea exactly one hour before you go to bed and drink it. You should have the problem taken care of very easily." He said with a light smile, as he gave the box to Vergil and stood. "Well, if that's all, I shall retire for the day. Take care, you two."

**Later That Night**

Vergil sighed as he poured the hot water over the small, hand-wrapped teabag, dunking it softly with a spoon before adding a spoonful of honey and some milk, discarding the teabag along the way. He reclined in the sunroom, content to sip his tea and read a book until the supposed powers of the tea kicked in, and he would fall asleep.

In less than forty-five minutes, Vergil could hardly keep himself upright in the chair as he decided, that yes, so far the tea was working.. He lay his book and empty teacup on the table next to the lamp and hobbled up the stairs, ridding himself of socks, shirt and pants before crawling under the down comforter of his bed. In seconds, he was asleep. And would be, for the rest of the night, nightmare free.

**54- **Iatrophobia

"Well, those are broken." Nero cringed as he glanced at his now disfigured human hand, his demonic hand clutching the ten pound, metal sledgehammer tightly. "This is all your fault, bastard!!!" He screamed down at Dante, who was caught in between laughing his ass off and apologizing loudly. Still in the middle of their prank war, Dante had thrown a flash bomb, the cheap kind you could get at any fireworks store, up on the roof where Nero had been working, patching a large hole in the roof. The only reason for the sledgehammer being that the roof was metal and the nails were _huge._

Caught off guard, and in the middle of a swing, Nero missed the nail and slammed it down on his hand, thereby breaking every finger on his left hand. He cradled the arm to his chest and slid down the ladder, making sure to kick the older man in the crotch as he passed and went into the office, straight for where Trish and Lady were sitting, hoping one of them could bandage the hand because, everyone knows it's impossible to wrap your hand by yourself.

But one look at the hand had both women shaking their heads. "Sorry Nero. Those need to be splinted, maybe even reset from the looks of it. You'll have to go to the doctor." Lady said, mismatched eyes watching as Nero paled visibly. She and Trish shared a quick glance, seemingly remembering something. Last year, when they had rescued Vergil, both he and Nero spent a good while in the hospital.

They also realized that someone was probably going to have to drag a kicking and snarling half-demon all the way down town so his hand didn't heal wrong. Not to mention the pain he must've been in had to be tremendous. Sharing one last glance, Trish called out the door. "Dante!! You need to take Nero to the doctor!!" Their only answer was an enraged shout from outside. "Why me!?"

**55- Were-Shadows**

Dante growled as he hacked through another Shadow, the cat-like creature giving a final enraged snarl as it disintegrated into a pile of ashes at his feet. Why the hell were there so many frickin' demon's around this damn hellhole of a forest!? The kid had to go on this mission alone! He had to go and get himself lost!

Had to not come home for over a week.

Dante did his best to swallow the raising panic he felt in his chest. The kid couldn't be dead. Wouldn't be dead. He sniffed the air again, much like a bloodhound would, easily picking up Nero's scent in the direction of a large dark cave. But wrapped around Nero's own distinct scent was the scent of something much more sinister. Blood, and the heady scent of a Neko-Youkai. He crept in slowly, hands resting on the grips of Ebony and Ivory. Soon he was standing in an ante-chamber, the hulking body of his opponent curled sleeping in the corner.

Dante skulked closer, aware of a much smaller, though none the less familiar was leaning against the beast's stomach, covered by the great gray tail. Nero! He skidded closer, just inches from the tail of the beast and whispered softly. "Kid! C'mon kid get up!" No response. During this time, Dante bothered to take in the younger's appearance. He was littered in scratches and bruises and his arm and right leg were deformed looking, screaming of a broken bone or two. His Devil Bringer still glowed blue, but just dimly enough that he could make out the shape of Nero's arm and no more.

So he was still alive, if just barely. He turned his face up to look at the kids face. And stopped. What were those fluffy, white things on top of his head? He, without really thinking, reached up and rubbed one of them between his fingers, disbelief painting his face. They were ears. _Cat ears._ He looked down to the kids waist, finally noticing the white fluffy thing trapped between the kid's body and the Youkai's body.

Oh god. It was a _tail._

That was the only reason the Neko-Youkai hadn't eaten Nero for breakfast yet in the past week. It though Nero was it's baby. It had been taking care of Nero, probably since the shadows he could smell in here had dragged him into the cave. Not knowing what to do really, he slipped his hands under the kid's arms and lifted him, wincing when the kid let out an unconscious cry of pain. The Youkai was up in seconds flat, snarling at the man that dare hurt it's child. Dante did the only thing that came to mind at the moment. He shot at the Youkai's face, then ran like all hell.

**56- Knowing**

Tyler recovered shortly after his midnight encounter with Dante, his healing finally picking up the slack and fixing all the damage. In a few days Tyler was up and hobbling around the office, helping with paperwork and light chores. He said helping with the light labor made him feel like he wasn't intruding on them too much and that he was at least helping them a little for all the trouble he had caused them. Several times they tried to tell him that he needn't do anything and that a few free massages would make it all even, but Tyler was having none of it.

They kept him at the office at all times, taking him home only once so he could get clothes and other necessary stuff, so they could keep an eye on his injuries. When he brought out his twin katanas, Dante demanded that he, when he was healed, show them all a thing or two about his fighting style. Tyler only happily agreed.

But one thing they noticed was that he never took off the black, gem studded leather collar from around his neck, not even when he took a shower or slept. Tyler's answer when asked was that he would never want to upset the person that gave it to him, no matter what. People left it at that, not wanting to irritate him or get in a fight.

So for now Tyler sat on the roof, fingering the leather as he stared at the night sky. "Oh Master. I don't want to disappoint you, but he's so happy here. I- I could never drag him away from this, not when he's this joyful. I've let you down, Master. Sorry." With one taloned finger, he sliced the collar off his neck and let fall to the cold alley below him.

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**Wolfe: That's a wrap, ladies and gentle men!! More will be coming soon, I promise! And I will update _"Ice and Fangs" _soon. For now, just please forgive me and don't stone me!!! cowers But please review!**


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